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-- timeline --
Sam Etcheverry
Denver - 1952-1960 - Quarterback
1970-72 - Coach
Over nine seasons in Montreal, as No. 92 and
then No. 14, he never missed a game. He would be introduced last, simply
as "the quarterback, Sam," to a routine standing ovation. The stadium, capacity 26,218, sold out most
of the time Sam Etcheverry played there from 1954 through 1960. He
literally wrote the record book, with 183 touchdown passes, not counting
his first two seasons in Montreal, 1952 and 1953, when the Canadian
Football League evidently didn't keep records.
Hal Patterson
- Kansas - 1954-61 - Wide Receiver
George Dixon
- Bridgeport Univ - 1959-65 - Running Back
Peter Dalla Riva
- Oakville - 1968-81 - Tight End
Sonny Wade #14
Emory & Henry - 1969-78 - Quarterback/Punter
Jesse
"Sonny" Wade was named the Most Outstanding Player in the Grey Cup on
3 occasions, a record he holds with Doug Flutie. The rangy Wade graduated
as an All-American from Emory & Henry in Virginia in 1969 and joined the
Alouettes as a quarterback and punter. Sonny led Montreal to a Grey
Cup in 1970 under coach Sam Etcheverry, defeating Calgary 23-10. Wade
suffered through injuries and coaching changes but returned to the big
game in 1974 defeating Edmonton 20-7. For his final championship in the
infamous 1977 staple game, in front of a record crowd of 68,318 at Olympic
stadium Wade led the potent Montreal attack to a
41-6
destruction of the Edmonton Eskimos in the 1977 title game. Wade
retired after the 1978 season as was one of the most successful
big-game players in league history.
Larry Smith
- Bishops - 1972-80 - Running Back
Junior Ah You
- Arizona State - 1972-82 - Defensive End
Wally Buono
- Idaho State - 1972-81 - Linebacker/Punter
Dickie Harris
- USC - 1972-80 - Defensive Back
Don Sweet
- Washington State - 1972-1983 - Kicker
Marv Levy
1973-77 - Head Coach
the Hall of Fame NFL coach spent 5 seasons as head coach of the Montreal Alouettes
in the mid 1970's compiling a 50-34-4 record and capturing two Grey Cup
championships. Levy credits his time in Canada as invaluable in shaping
his career as a head coach. He coached some prominent players in team
history and had great success. Levy left Montreal following the clubs Grey
Cup Championship in 1977 and went on to coach the Kansas City Chiefs
before moving on to his longtime post as head man with the Buffalo Bills.
Jimmy Jones
- USC - 1973-75 - Quarterback
Tony Proudfoot
- UNB - 1973-79 - Defensive Back
Johnny Rodgers
#20
Nebraska - 1973-76 -
Receiver/Returner
Dubbed the "Ordinary Superstar"
Rodgers shocked the football world after leading the Nebraska Corn Huskers
to the Rose Bowl in 1972.
The
San Diego Chargers selected Rodgers in the first round of the 1973
draft, but he rebuffed the NFL to join the Montreal Alouettes of the
Canadian Football League.
"I had always dreamed of having $100,000, and San Diego didn't offer me anything
close to that," he said. "So I went to Montreal, and they offered me
what I was looking for right out of the gate." Rodgers
played four seasons in the CFL, winning Rookie of the Year, Most
Valuable Player and All-Pro honors, along with a Grey Cup.
Joe Barnes
- Texas Tech - 1976-80, 85-86 - Quarterback
Gerry Dattilio
- Northern Colorado - 1976-81, 84-85 - Quarterback
David Green
- Edinboro Univ. - 1978-80 - Running Back
Nick Arakgi
- Bishops - 1979-87 - Slotback
Tom Cousineau
- Ohio State - 1979-81 - Defensive End
Fred Biletnikoff
- Florida State - 1980 - Wide Receiver
Vince Ferragamo #15
Nebraska -
1981 - Quarterback
In
April
1981, a little more than a year after quarterbacking the Rams to a near
upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIV, Ferragamo also left
L.A., signing two one-year, $400,000 contracts with the
Montreal Alouettes of the CFL. "It was
strictly business on my part," says
Ferragamo, who turned down a one-year, $300,000 offer from the Rams. "The
emotional stuff was taken out of the equation. I love California, but I
was thinking about my career." Ferragamo, who had been a college star at
Nebraska, thought wrong. In his one CFL season, he played less like Vince
Ferragamo and more like Vince Neil,
throwing 25 interceptions in 13 games.
"It was more like a minor league," he
says of the CFL. "We had a team on the downside with a lot of players who
weren't going to be around much longer."
Billy 'White Shoes' Johnson
- Widener - 1981 - Wide Receiver
David Overstreet
- Oklahoma - 1981-82 - Running Back
Turner Gill #12
Nebraska - 1983-85 - Quarterback
Turner Gill one of the all-time great
quarterbacks produced by the NCAA powerhouse Nebraska. Upon completing his
senior year with Nebraska in 1983 the 2nd team All-American signed with
the Montreal Concordes and went on to play two seasons leading the club to
consecutive playoff births. He was forced to retire due to concussions and
has continued in football as a NCAA head coach
Elfrid Payton
- Grambling - 1996-99 - Quarterback
Mike Pringle #27
Cal State Fullerton - 1996-02 -
Running Back
Mike Pringle had simply an amazing career. He holds numerous rushing records
including the 2 highest rushing totals in league history. He is the only
running back in CFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a seaon with
2,065 in 1998. Mike was named the leagues Most Outstanding Player 2 times
in 1995 and '98. Mike was a member of 3 Grey Cup winning teams with
Baltimore, Montreal and Edmonton. Mike played his college football at
Cal State Fullerton
the alma mater of 2 other CFL legends Allen Pitts and Damon Allen. Pringle
was a draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 1990 - he first joined the CFL
with Edmonton in 1992. Mike had two incredible seasons with Baltimore in
1994 and '95 before moving up to Montreal where he had his greatest
success.
Michael Soles
- McGill - 1996-99 - Running Back
Tracy Ham
- Georgia Southern - 1996-99 - Quarterback
Jock Climie
- Queens - 1996-01 - Wide Receiver
Bryan Chiu
- Washington State - 1996-09 - Center
Thomas Haskins
- Virginia Military Academy - 1997-02 - Running Back
Ben Cahoon #86
Brigham Young - 1998-10 - Slotback
Ben Cahoon stands as one of the all-time
greatest clutch receivers in CFL history. He sits as the all-time
reception leader in league history. The BYU grad was a 3-time Grey Cup
Champion and provided an endless list of highlight reel catches. A 2-time
Most Outstanding Canadian, Cahoon was a fan favorite for the Alouettes for
13 seasons and the #1 target for quarterback Anthony Calvillo. A
tremendous football player and tremendous person Cahoon has gone on to
coach football at his alma mater.
Barron Miles
- Nebraska - 1998-04 - Defensive Back
Davis Sanchez
- Oregon - 1999-00, 05-09 - Defensive Back
Anwar Stewart
- Kentucky - 2002-11 - Defensive End
Lawrence Phillips
- Nebraska - 2002 - Running Back
Kerry Watkins
- Georgia Tech - 2004-11 - Receiver
Robert Edwards
- Georgia - 2005-07 - Running Back
Jarett Payton
- Miami - 2007 - Running Back
Marc Trestman
- 2008-12 - Head Coach |
-- features --
1981
2002
Concordes
Percival Molson
'Nutra-Sweet'
-- highlights --
Peter Dalla
Riva (above left 1970
Grey Cup parade) was an incredible
non-import receiver with a career spanning over three decades with the
Montreal Alouettes. Dalla Riva began his career with Montreal in 1968 he
would go on to lead the team in receiving 5 times. As a tight end Peter
provided clutch receptions for Alouette quarterbacks. With Montreal Dalla
Riva went to six Grey Cups winning three he retired in 1981 and his
signature #74 was promptly retired by the franchise that year.
Tony Proudfoot
inspired a generation of people with his poise and
determination battling ALS. Proudfoot was a star defensive back for the
Alouettes from 1973-79 out of the University of New Brunswick. He was an
all-star in 1977 and '79 and provided a lasting piece of Grey Cup lore
with the idea of adding staples to the Alouettes cleats in the 1977 Grey
Cup victory over Edmonton. He went on to a distinguished career as an
educator and coach.
Gerry Dattilio
shattered many stereo-types as a Canadian Quarterback in the CFL. The
Chomeday Quebec native had a productive 10 season career with Toronto,
Montreal and Calgary. Highlighted by his nomination as the Eastern
Division Most Outstanding Player in 1980, Dattilio was the Alouettes
starting quarterback over 2 separate stays with the club.
Jock Climie
played university football at Queens. He was a 1st round draft choice of
Toronto in 1989. Jock joined Montreal when the club returned to the city
from Baltimore in 1996 and had his greatest success as an Alouette. As one
of the top options in the powerfull
Montreal offence, Climie was invaluable as a non-import receiver. Montreal
advanced to the Grey Cup in 2000 but was defeated by the B.C.Lions. It
would be the closest Climie would get to a championship - he retired after
the 2001 season and is now a practicing lawyer as well as a panelist for
the CFL on TSN.
Barron Miles
(left) arrived in Montreal in 1998 after a stellar collegiate career with
the Nebraska Cornhuskers culminating in a National Championship in 1994.
After a few seasons kicking around the NFL and NFL Europe he signed with
the Alouettes and was an instant star capturing top rookie honours. He
would spend 7 seasons with the Alouettes as a fan favourite and consummate
professional on and off the field. He would capture a championship with
Montreal in 2002 and in 2005 move west to join the B.C. Lions where he
would conclude his career after 5 years with the Lions.
Kerry Watkins
was one of the most consistent receivers in the CFL for 8 seasons. A
favourite target of Anthony Calvillo, Watkins totaled 7,431 yards and 75
touchdowns with the Alouettes. Totalling 5 consecutive seasons with over
1,000 yeards receiving the Louisiana native also won 2 Grey Cups in 2008
and 2009. The Georgia Tech product was a respected receiver and a well
regarded barber.
Marc Trestman
spent 5 very successful seasons as the head coach of the Montreal
Alouettes. After a lengthy career in the NFL and U.S. College as a
coordinator Trestman took the helm of the Alouettes in 2008 and led them
to the Grey Cup in each of his first 3 seasons, capturing the hallowed
trophy in 2009 and 2010. In January 2013 Trestman was named head coach
of the Chicago Bears and above all credited quarterback Anthony Calvillo
in getting him there.
-- grey cup --
1974
1977
2002
-- stadium attendance --
Percival Molson Stadium
Capacity (20,202)
High Season: 59,525*
(1977)
Low Season: 9,585*
(1997)
2012 Avg: 22,457
*played at Olympic
Stadium
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